The History of SATAWU

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) was formed in 2000 after a series of negotiations and small-scale mergers by unions in the transport industry. SATAWU organises workers in the transport as well as security and cleaning sectors. We have members in diverse sectors including railways, harbours, parastatals, aviation, passenger transport (buses and taxis) freight and logistics (trucking), contract cleaning and security.

The merger by transport unions to form SATAWU was in response to the call by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) for – ‘one industry, one union, one country, one federation’. COSATU believed that if all unions merged and worked together under one federation, their voice would be more powerful and they would therefore be in a stronger position to bargain.

However, attempts to unite all federations under one umbrella failed. COSATU only managed to have different trades uniting to form industry unions, for example, the transport industry coming together under one umbrella union, SATAWU.

The merger took place in two stages. The first was the coming together of the South African Railways and Harbours Workers’ Union (SARHWU), the Black Transnet Allied Trade Union (BLATU) and the Transnet Allied Trade Union (TATU). At the time SARHWU boasted a membership 35 000 strong, while BLATU had 6 324 members and 1 324 were affiliated to TATU.

The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) with an estimated 50 000 members could not be part of the merger due to issues it could not agree with SARHWU on.

It is important to note the merger was not an easy process and consequently took years to conclude. Initiated in the mid-1980s, the actual process only started in December 1998 when the Transnet unions finally heeded COSATU’s call to form one industry unions. The resulting entity was named SATAWU; it had a joint membership of 47 000.

Bringing TGWU into the fold also proved tricky. Originally, expected to have occurred in June 1999 it was delayed due to issues the two unions could not agree on. Numerous engagements later, the pair found common ground and the SATAWU we know today was finally born on 18 May 2000, bringing together public and private transport, cleaning and security sectors under one united union.